Case Study: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo achieves life-saving crisis communication and rapid evacuation of 88,000 residents with Hootsuite

How RMWB saved lives by using Hootsuite for crisis communication

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB), which serves Fort McMurray and surrounding communities, faced the Horse River wildfire that began May 3, 2016—forcing the evacuation of about 88,000 residents, destroying 2,579 homes, and keeping many displaced for months. With residents, media, and displaced staff desperate for timely, accurate updates, RMWB’s communications team needed a way to coordinate fast, consistent crisis information across channels while working remotely.

Using Hootsuite as a virtual command center, eight dispersed team members monitored hashtags and keywords, managed inbound and outbound messages in real time, and routed help when needed. Ninety-five percent of wildfire tweets were sent via Hootsuite, helping RMWB dispatch responders, provide emotional support, and centralize official updates; the result was a restored public trust, a 4× (≈336%) increase in Twitter followers and 128% growth on Facebook, and recognition as a trusted emergency information source.

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Jennie Walker

Social Media Advisor, Communications and Stakeholder Relations